At long last… the ninth installment! Sorry for the wait… this is waaay overdue!

Chapter 9

It's white.

It's fluffy.

It's fat.

It's rivaling Donald in the most-likely-to-get-huggled-to-death division.

What sits in front of us is none other than a large, soft, snowy-furred rabbit with enormous bell-ears and a pink, wiggling nose.

It is by far the most ADORABLE thing I've ever seen in my life.

The bunny shifts its portly body nervously from foot-to-foot as we continue to stare at it in jaw-dropped amazement. Its warm brown eyes twitch between our faces, looking from one person to another, waiting for someone to say something.

Turns out, it's me.

"Oh… my… GOSH!!" I scramble to my feet and take a few steps towards it. The rabbit doesn't move away (astonishingly) and I crouch down and hold out my arms. Right now, all I want to do is squeeze it.

"W…Wait, Elise!" Sora yelps, lurching to his feet. "Don't touch it!"

"Yeah! It could be dangerous!" Donald adds, waddling over as fast as he can manage.

"Uh-yuk," Goody says, still dazed.

I ignore them and watch as the rabbit hops gracefully over to me and leaps into my arms. Its fur is thick, downy, and warm against my skin—but its body is so heavy, I almost gasp. Twenty pounds, at least…

But it's not so bad, so I straighten and stand there, stroking it and cradling it against my chest as the others come to gather around me, eying the rabbit in my arms as though it's a crate of gunpowder, just waiting to explode.

"It's okay, you guys," I tell them as I fondle the bunny's ears. "He's harmless."

"B-But how do you know?" Donald splutters, gripping his staff with shaking hands. …Or wings. Whichever.

"She's right," the rabbit in my arms says, addressing all of us. "I am a friend, sent by King Mickey."

"The… The KING?!" Sora gasps, leaning forwards to get a closer look at the rabbit. "S-Seriously?"

"Yes. He said that he had two of his closest friends searching for the Key, and that by the time I met up with them, they would have acquired him and another… special member." At this he looks up pointedly at me.

"Gawrsh," whispers Goofy.

"And what exactly does the King want you to do?" Donald asks, still a little suspicious.

The rabbit nestles deeper into my arms. "I'm to guard and advise the one among you who has powers of the clairvoyant. In other words, Elise."

I nearly let his fat little body drop to the ground. "Uh, me?" I gasp, feeling my cheeks flush red with embarrassment. "Wait a minute here—"

"Hey, cool!" Sora interrupts, looking pleased.

"Well, in that case…" Donald chimes in, looking uncomfortable, but unopposed nonetheless. "…I suppose it's alright… if you're sent by King Mickey and all…"

Goofy grins and gives the rabbit a stroke. "Uh-yuk! It's so soft!"

"Ummm, I'm not so sure this… well…" I don't know why I feel hesitant about this. Maybe it's that tidal wave of guilt that's swelling up in my throat…?

The rabbit looks up at me with its soft brown eyes and I feel my heart melting. "Don't worry," it says, "I'm only here to help. There's no reason to feel uneasy."

"S-Sure," I splutter, feeling somewhat memorized by the way it talks, moving its tiny lips ever so slightly with its words. "Okay, I'm fine with that…"

Donald looks nervously around at our surroundings, and then at the creature cradled in my arms. "Well, we'd better get back to the ship. I don't like this place… it feels…"

"…Unsafe?" Sora offers, turning his head to gaze at the flat earth spreading in endlessness around us. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Let's get out of here. Now that we've found what we needed," he smiles at the rabbit and me with satisfaction. "…We probably shouldn't stick around."

As we make our way back to the ship, I hang back from the others a bit and whisper into the rabbit's ear.

"What happened here?" I ask.

"It was a world once. My world. But… it was destroyed, long, long ago."

"What was it like?" I ask in awe, staring at the emptiness of the landscape. There weren't words to describe how desolate it appeared: no hillocks, no impressions of sloping of any kind. Just level, barren earth as far as the eyes could see. It's almost impossible to imagine there was ever anything here that remotely resembled a world.

"Oh, it was very beautiful at one time, believe me. There were plants, and animals, and people… you know," the rabbit almost seemed to smile sadly, if that were possible. "…You're not the first girl to come here from another world."

I jump, my eyes flying wide open. I'm… not… the…

Oh, my gosh.

Alice.

I'm such an idiot for not making the connection beforehand. This place, this horrible inhospitable place…

This was once Wonderland, wasn't it?

I feel my knees shaking, and I stop dead in my tracks. I hardly even realize that I'm squeezing the rabbit too tightly until it gives a soft squeak of alarm.

My friends call out to me from up ahead and come running back to see what's the matter, but I find it impossible to think straight. I start to cry.

It's almost too much. Too much…

Alice.

One of my favorite storybook characters of all time. One of my favorite stories of all time. It was the first book I ever read by myself, and loved.

They… all disappeared? They're all gone?

Gone?

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sora is suddenly at my side, and places his hand on my shoulder. He stares in anxious confusion at my tears and asks, "Did it say something that upset you?"

I know he means the rabbit. Sobbing, I shake my head, feeling so stupid for crying like this, but unable to make myself stop.

Goofy comes beside me and rubs my back in an attempt to comfort me. He, Donald, and Sora all share worried looks, at loss at how to console my grief. Silently, Goofy pulls me into a hug, and I bury my face into his chest. It feels so good… I've forgotten how much it can help to just feel someone's arms around you.

Not knowing what else to say, he simply murmurs, "Gawrsh, it's alright, Elise. You don't have to cry… it's all gonna be fine, you'll see. It's all gonna be fine. Uh-yuk."

I nod, and through my sobs, I can feel the warm wetness of the rabbit's tongue on my arm. Even Donald tries to help by standing next to me, lending me the reassurance of his presence.

Goofy's right. It's all going to be okay.

I have friends. I am loved.

I may be babyish and self-centered, but I am loved.

And because of that, I know that I have the strength to find my way home.

But first, I have something I need to do. There are other worlds out there, and they all are in danger. If we don't find the King, then they will end up just like this one. I can't let that happen. I have to do something to help. And maybe… maybe I can do just that. I've played this game so many times, I probably know everything there is to know about it.

I'm not in this for myself anymore. I have a responsibility—I'm going to join this crusade, and I'm not going to leave until it's finished. Until all the darkness has been destroyed.

Now I have a quest.

And I'm going to see it through to the very end.

--End of Chapter 9

Thank you for reading! Again, sorry for the wait—I'll upload ASAP!